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More refugees could come to Calgary in the wake of Trump's ban

Author of the article:

Eva Ferguson • Calgary Herald

Publishing date:

January 31, 2017 • 3 minute read

Calgary Catholic Immigration Society CEO Fariborz Birjandian speaks with media at the Central Library on Monday January 30, 2017. The CCIS hosted a public forum to provide an update on refugee resettlement in the Calgary area. GAVIN YOUNG/POSTMEDIAGavin Young Gavin Young/ Gavin Young

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After the success of last year’s resettlements in Calgary, another wave of refugees could be on its way as the federal government and immigration services monitor the impact of Donald Trump’s refugee ban.

And while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has already suggested Canada will welcome those the U.S. won’t take, immigration advocates say funding for services will have to keep up with rising demand.

More refugees could come to Calgary in the wake of Trump's banBack to video

“There is a lot of confusion around the ban right now, it came down very fast and furious,” said Anoush Newman, community engagement coordinator for the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society.

“But Canada is in a very respected position in the world. And people from a lot of countries will aspire to come here.”

Fariborz Birjandian, CEO with CCIS, added that while Calgary’s numbers will increase only if the federal government approves another wave of Syrian refugees similar to last year’s, the possibility is there amid the ban in the U.S. — a country that normally takes in 80,000 refugees a year.

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“There are hundreds of thousands of refugees in camps right now, dreaming of coming to Canada,” Birjandian said.

“But that all depends on whether the federal government will raise its target numbers.”

CCIS estimates up to 7,000 refugees arrived in Alberta over the past year, up to 3,400 of them to Calgary, after the Trudeau government announced a goal of taking at least 25,000 refugees last January.

Over the weekend, newly-elected U.S. president Donald Trump signed an executive order banning refugees, migrants and foreign nationals from seven mostly-Muslim countries from entering the U.S.

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While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn’t voice opposition against the ban outright, he tweeted a message to refugees saying they are still welcome here:

But if Canadian cities will be expected to prepare for more refugees, Newman says the federal government also needs to ensure funding for new infrastructure and support services.

“When they arrive here, they need schools, health services, language services. We need to make sure they get enough support,” she said.

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CCIS officials held a public forum Monday updating the community about its refugee resettlement program one year after the Trudeau government announced its 25,000 target.

Birjandian commended local efforts, especially among private sponsors who took in up to 2,200 of Calgary’s 3,400 total refugees.

“It really speaks to the generosity of Calgarians. Over the past year, we privately-sponsored twice as many refugees as Edmonton, four times as many as the province of B.C.”

Syrian refugee Mahran Nerses was photographed before a public forum hosted by the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society at the Central Library on Monday January 30, 2017. GAVIN YOUNG/POSTMEDIAGavin Young Gavin Young/Gavin Young

Mahran Nerses was among those, a 19-year-old who was raised in Aleppo, Syria, and living in Beirut, Lebanon before being sponsored by his aunt here in Calgary.

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“In Syria, things started to really heat up after I left. And in Lebanon, my options were becoming so limited. School was too expensive. I dreamed of coming here and having opportunity.”

After working several part-time jobs in Calgary, Nerses is now an open studies student at the University of Calgary.

He called Trump’s controversial ban a way of stripping decent, hard-working people from the opportunity to flee war-torn countries and start a new life in the west.

“It’s such an unfair thing for a democratic leader to do, it’s more like something a dictator would do. It’s not right to put all people from these countries into the same category, it’s like they are all being targeted.”

He added that with anti-western sentiment already high in the Middle East, the ban will only feed anger and violence.

Newman explained that because refugees undergo a detailed vetting process before they arrive in Canada, many must wait anywhere between six months to three years.

And most importantly, many of them bring a high level of skill and education, arriving as doctors, engineers and business people.

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